557 Lower Parel BDD Chawl families get keys to 500 sq ft 2BHK flats from CM Fadnavis

Residents of the BDD Chawl who had waited for years for a permanent home have finally got their flats. Under the BDD Chawl redevelopment, 557 residents of Lower Parel received their homes from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who distributed the 557 rehabilitation flats. With the keys in hand, the residents' Diwali was sweetened. The handover is being described as the biggest gift the government has given these residents.

The event was held at 12 noon today at the Yashwantrao Chavan Centre. Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar were present along with Fadnavis. Work on three buildings in the first phase of redevelopment is complete. Residents who earlier lived in a 160 sq ft room have now been given a 500 sq ft home. Eligible residents have received the flats free of cost, with ownership rights.

The Lower Parel BDD Chawl redevelopment project site on N. M. Joshi Marg covers 13.49 acres. Here, 2,560 tenants and residents lived in 160 sq ft flats in 32 chawls of ground plus three floors. Eligible residents, who had lived in 160 sq ft rooms for two to three generations, have been given a 2BHK flat of 500 sq ft carpet area free of cost, on an ownership basis, in a rehabilitation building through MHADA.

The homes have all amenities. The flats have vitrified tiles, aluminium-frame windows, a granite kitchen platform, a fire-safety system and branded plumbing fittings. The buildings have been constructed using earthquake-resistant technology. Each building has two passenger lifts and one fire lift, and CCTV is installed on every floor for security. The project also has three levels of basement parking, a stilt area, a podium and wide staircases.

The redevelopment is being carried out in two phases. Fourteen wings of 22-storey rehabilitation buildings are being built. The first phase includes seven wings and a hospital building. Keys to 557 flats in three of these wings were handed over by the Chief Minister. Work on the remaining four wings, with 684 flats, is in its final stage and is planned to be completed in February 2026. About 65 per cent of the total land has been used for rehabilitation.

In the second phase, the eligibility of 1,200 shopkeepers in 15 chawls has been determined. Eligible residents are being paid a transit rent of Rs 39,000 a month.

In the larger picture, 195 chawls at Worli, Lower Parel and Naigaon in Mumbai are being redeveloped on 86 acres, with 15,593 residents to be rehabilitated. So far 1,975 flats have been distributed in Worli and 1,401 in Naigaon. The 557 flats at Lower Parel now add to these.